When Life Turns To Rebellion
by MomentaryScream
Summary: Tamiko is just another, albeit strange, teenager at Domino High. So why do the resident bad boys decided they want to take her under their wing? Angsty, plenty of trouble, rated for bad language and probably innuendos as well.
1. Chapter 1

_Tamiko Enoki._

She smiled to herself as she looked at the untidy scribble now adorning the front of her notebook. Tamiko, Tami for short, sat in the neatly kept homeroom. One of many within Domino High, her new school.

She rocked her chair back onto two legs, ignoring the glare her teacher, Mrs Takudo, threw at her. It wasn't that she was a rebel as such as she preferred to do things her own way. Ok, rebel it was, she shrugged to herself. Somehow, she actually managed to fit in here though, despite the tattoos she had inked up her arms in biro, and her piercings.

Ok, so she only had a single lip piercing, her ears pierced once normally, and an extra one in the cartilage of her right ear, but still. That was at least two more than most people would settle for.

Her school uniform, in contrast, was immaculate, and the only thing that really detracted from the look was the fact that she had a long scratch running across her cheek.

She had slender limbs, and slim fingers. She had sharp nails, although they were rather bitten, and her nail polish (dark purple, with a slight shimmer) was chipped. Essentially, she was pretty, with long, windswept hair, a constantly amused expression, and an incredibly don't-care-ish attitude. She could just get along with people, without really having to try too much.

Admittedly, she hadn't been so sure about herself on her ten minute walk to the school, but as soon as she'd reached the gates, she'd been pulled into a small band of girls. None of them were particularly interesting, but they'd do until she could find anyone more... suitable.

Thinking that didn't make her feel like a great person, but she pushed it out of her mind. They were probably the type of girls that wouldn't really want her around after she was done settling in, anyway. Either way, it was of minimal concern to her.

"Enoki Tamiko?" She looked up as she heard her name being called for registration. She replied swiftly, then went back to her thoughts. On the first work, they didn't really work, just received notebooks, textbooks, and their timetables.

She scanned over hers to see what would be happening over the next few days. Nothing drastically interesting, but it was school, after all.

After quietly scribbling names onto the front covers of each notebook, the students were effectively left for the best part of four hours to... socialise. Strange thought, that. School actually putting aside time on the first day for people to get to know each other.

Tami ignored the others as they got into small groups around the room, pushing desks together or apart to make it easier to sit comfortably together. She politely declined the offer to sit with her new friends, instead choosing to sit at one of the desks in the corner, alone.

She pulled out a small book from her bag, flicking it open at random and beginning to read. It was old; she'd had it for easily the past two years, but she still liked to read it. Admittedly, stories lost some of their original interest after being read Ra knows how many times, but it still bore some form of fascination; despite knowing the story line by heart, it still amazed her how she always expected the storyline to somehow change.

It never did.

After a few minutes, she grew bored. Weird, that didn't usually work. She slowly placed the book back onto her desk, glancing around aimless. Two boys sitting in another corner caught her eye, and she looked back at them.

One had spiky, long, silvery hair, lightly streaked with black and deep crimson. He looked like he had pale skin; it glowed slightly in the sunlight streaming through the window. His school uniform was sloppy, his jacket left hanging open. He was wearing a black band shirt underneath. It looked a little, from where she was sitting, like it had Madina Lake album artwork on it.

The other boy had tan skin and sandy hair that came down to his shoulders. His uniform was equally sloppy, and he looked like he was in the process of inking an elaborate Celtic cross onto his forearm. He also has his ears pierced, with 3D looking curved diamond shapes hanging from his ears. He wore his jackets more like a cape, draped across his shoulders, showing two thick gold bands, one on each arm. He had a plain black vest-shirt underneath, his chair also rocked back onto two legs.

After quite a while, Tamiko became conscious that she'd been staring at the two of them for a prolonged amount of time, and looked away at pretty much the exact time they both looked at her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed they'd stood up, again simultaneously. Did they always do everything with such ridiculously perfect timing? Her stream of thoughts were cut short as she realised they were heading over to her. The two of them stopped in front of her desk, and she slowly looked up into the faces of the real class rebels.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN-** Yerp, another part of the story up, disclaimers the same as last chapter. Anyway, read on, for there is yet more character development! Woot...? There'll be interesting stuff next chapter, I promise!

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She slowly looked up into the faces of the class rebels.

Anyone else would've been shaking by that point; looking up to find two of the most threatening looking boys in the room standing in front of them. Instead, Tamiko smirked.

"Can I help you boys?" Her voice didn't exactly ring out, instilling silence to the room, but it was confident, and enough to knock the two slightly off balance. Only slightly, though. The white haired boy replied, his tone matching hers, only with something extra... Maybe the thought of a threat?

"Sure, we wanna know why you were staring at us." The factual nature of which the question was delivered took her slightly off-guard, but not enough to totally unsettle her.

"Because you two are more interesting that the wall," she replied flippantly. It was almost becoming a competition to see who could be the most indifferent now. The blond boy smirked, his expression matching the... albino's? Sure, that worked.

With a loud thunk, she let her chair fall back onto all four legs. "I'm Enoki Tamiko," she said, hoping she could get their names by introducing herself first. It was common courtesy, after all.

"Ishtar Marik," the blond boy said, in reply, before throwing a glance at the white haired teen standing beside him. "And this is the Thief King, Bakura," he added with a laugh, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.

"Just Bakura. I go by my surname, while my little brother uses his first name. It simplifies things." He smirked, folding his arms.

"Right, so Ishtar and Bakura?" She asked, just to check. The two nodded, and she pushed her chair back onto two legs, expecting them to go away now. Instead, they both pulled chairs round to sit with her.

She slammed her chair back into the ground, looking slightly put out. She wasn't antisocial, in fact, quite the opposite, but these two might affect whether or not she'd be able to make new friends. And that wasn't fun.

She flicked her dark hair out of her eyes, pushing a lopsided smile back onto her face. She had a very dark hair, but it was a reddish shade rather than black, so it turned coppery in the sunlight. Her eyes were an equally dark shade of blue, as close to black as her hair was.

She glanced up at the two teens in front of her, taking in their faces quickly. The blond, Ishtar, didn't have any other piercings apart from his earrings, and no scars either, his eyes were a deep lilac colour.

In contrast, Bakura had a scar running from under his mess of hair to his jaw. It ran across his eyes, so when he blinked it momentarily became a full line. His eyes were brown, with a hint of mischief sparkling in them. They were interesting eyes; ones with a story behind them. Well, that was her opinion, anyway. Chances are she was wrong. Either way, it didn't bother her.

"Hey, let's ditch this pile of junk," Bakura grinned, making to stand up. Marik nodded, a cheeky smirk taking over his features.

"Definitely!" He agreed, standing up quickly, and glancing towards Tami. "You coming?" She paused. On one hand, she was bored out of her mind. On the other hand... She didn't want to get in trouble on her first day. After a moment of contemplating, she could tell the boys were beginning to grow bored of waiting, and she quickly nodded.

"Fine. I'll come," she replied, with a small sigh. Maybe they would be fun enough to make up for getting yelled at by her parents. Theoretically. Without much concern showing on her face, she stood up, following them quietly out of the room as they laughed and joked.

They reached the end of the field quickly, all of them flopping down onto the grass under the shade of a tree. Marik pulled a can of Cola out of his bag, cracking it open and taking a long drink, before passing it to Bakura, who did the same.

Tamiko watched them, but declined quietly when he offered it to her.

"Oh come on. If I had anything contagious, you'll have caught it by now anyway," his tone was joking, and she pulled a face, taking the can.

She wasn't worried about catching anything from him (not much, anyway) but it slightly bothered her that they wanted her to drink from a can both of them had just drunk from. It was weird. To her, at least. Maybe they were used to it, but it wasn't something she made a habit of.

She rubbed her cuff over the top, then took an equally long drink, laughing inwardly at herself as the fizzy drink seemed to scorch her throat, although she didn't show any other signs that it might've been slightly uncomfortable. She was used to it anyway.

The can was almost empty now, and without thinking, she tossed it to Marik, who fumbled and dropped it, the remaining liquid spilling across his trousers.

"Damnit!" He yelled, jumping to his feet in shock while Bakura fell over laughing. "Why d'you throw it?!" he exclaimed, tossing a vaguely amused glare in her direction before fussing over how to get the stain out of his trousers before anyone came over.

"I didn't know how uselessly uncoordinated you were!" She laughed, trying not to irritate him any more than he already seemed to be.

After a few more moments of mumbling incoherently about how his sister would kill him, he stalked off, muttering something about spare clothes in his locker.

It took Bakura several more minutes before he had finished laughing, and when he was finally done, he sat back up, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "Classic," he chuckled. "That was brilliant."

Tami pulled a face a little. "Not really... I mean, I didn't mean to... Aren't you worried he'll be angry?"

Bakura gave her a look that clearly said 'lighten up'. "Oh come on. You're worried about that? Marik's got a good sense of humour, he's just screwing to see how you'd react. I wouldn't worry if I were you."

She slowly nodded, her expression cheering up quite drastically. After all, the two seemed to be pretty good friends. She assumed she could trust Bakura, although Marik's comment about him being a 'thief king' made her feel slightly dubious.

She simply mentally shrugged it off though, her naturally lopsided smile still in place.

The reason behind her smile was simple, really; the way her face had been cut had meant it hurt to pull the other side of her mouth up. So she didn't bother. Still, she'd get her usual cheeky smile back in no time, after all, it wasn't a deep cut, and it would heal very soon.

She zoned out for a moment, thinking back to how she got her scar, only coming back to reality as she found Bakura snapping his fingers loudly in her face.

"Hey, snap out of it! What're you thinking about?"

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**AN-** Dunno if you guessed, but the flashback comes at the beginning of next chapter, which I should be uploading later today [British time, eeh hee, I'm all English and stuff ;D] but after that I'm gonna be in freakin' cornwall for a week, woop de doo ¬¬ But I'll still be writing, so updates will be flooding both my stories when I get back.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN-** Like I said, uploaded on the same day ;D And it starts with my promised flashback too! Disclaimer as per usual, blah blah.

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"_Darling? We're going now, behave yourself," Tami's parents called up the stairs, hearing a small shout of consent from the young teen._

_She sat in her room, looking smug. Finally! Her parents were out, and her drunkard of a brother wouldn't be back for a few hours at least. Long enough to bounce around the house hyperactively listening to loud music._

_She pushed a My Chemical Romance CD into her CD player, turning the sound right up before dashing into the kitchen to raid the fridge for anything sugary. She succeeded, coming away with a bottle of chocolate sauce, milk, some syrup, strawberries, and ice cream. Hey, life was short. _

'_**Hear the sound, the angels come screaming down...'**_

_She smiled to herself, drinking syrup out of the bottle, not noticing as the door smashed open, and drunken slurs began to pour from the man's mouth as the stupidly loud music crashed his ear drums into his skull._

'_**..I hear you've been bleeding...'**_

"_Not yet you're not," the dark haired male growled, staggering towards the room she was in, slowly, having to use walls to support himself as his head spun, an empty bottle still in his hand._

'_**..While spitting out the blood and screaming, heaven help us now...'**_

_Tami found herself singing as the familiar lyrics blasted throughout the house, but not only for her to hear, as she was about to realise, as her brother crashed through the door violently, a malicious leer on his face. She spun around in shock, lunging to turn off her music quickly, although she could tell by his expression that he wasn't amused. _

_He lunged barely seconds after she did, his bottle connecting with the wall rather than her face, as were his dizzy intentions. He snarled, the sound oddly managing to slur in his throat, as he raised the sharp edge of the newly smashed bottle, as he lunged again._

_He almost missed, but it caught her cheek, tearing a little, the alcohol stinging like mad. In panic, she raised her arms in front of her face, wishing her brother would just leave her alone. _

_He was opposed to her music, her clothes, the things she said, the things she like, everything. Her. He just hated who she was, because she wasn't who he thought she should be. And she often got hurt because of it. But today was the first time he'd really attacked her like that._

_She ran from the room, fighting back the tears furiously, locking herself into the bathroom, and leaning against the door for a moment, before slowly setting about cleaning and bandaging her wound. If anyone asked, she'd probably just say she'd slipped. It was believable enough._

_She knew her CD would be smashed. But she could replace that. She was just glad he hadn't hit her with that first strike. _

"Hey, snap out of it! What're you thinking about?"

The thoughts cut through her flashback, and she looked up at Bakura slowly. "Uhm... Nothing. Nothing much, anyway."

"Ok..." He sounded as if he didn't believe her, and she didn't blame her. She'd answered too quickly, and without much certainty. She wouldn't have believed herself either. And on top of that, she'd totally zoned out. You don't zone out if it's nothing.

"Anyway," he added, pointing towards the building. "Marik's coming," he stated, as she looked around to see where he was pointing. It looked roughly like it might be him, but it was a little too far to see. Maybe Bakura just had some sort of super-psycho eye sight?

Maybe not psycho. But still. As the figure got nearer, she could finally see that it was in fact Marik. A cleaner version of Marik though, minus the massive Cola stain from a little while earlier. She smirked a little, and on glancing over at Bakura, noticed his expression was about the same. _Good times, _she thought to herself, a little sarcastically.

Of course, it was at that point, roughly when Marik flopped down beside them, that she looked at her watch. "Hey, it's almost lunch time. Shouldn't we be getting back?"

Bakura glanced at his watch as well – a black wristband with the clock face the only adornment on it – and nodded. "S'pose." He replied, pulling a face. "Damnit, cafeteria food, this should be lame."

Tamiko laughed slightly; she'd had the brains to pack herself some food, which had been hastily abandoned in her locker previously. The trio headed back up to the building, where they parted for a short time as Tami headed towards her locker, while the two boys went to buy some food.

Minutes later, they rejoined, heading towards a random bench. Marik simply had a carton of juice and a badly packaged sandwich, whereas Bakura had picked up a milkshake, cookie, burger and also a small bag of chips.

She frowned slightly. Hadn't Bakura said earlier that he was low on money? And that he hadn't brought any with him? She shrugged. Maybe Marik had got it? But he'd gotten himself barely anything.. Maybe the thief thing hadn't been a joke after all.

Either way, she didn't really care. It was just crappy school food. If he wanted to save himself a few quid on something that wouldn't taste great anyway, good for him.

Well, not great for stealing. But maybe it was just initiative... And he wasn't likely to be noticed either way.

They all settled down, chatting companionably about nothing in particular. Tami noticed a few odd glances, but when she turned to ask, the other two just laughed.

"I guess they think we're not very sociable. Like it matters," Bakura added with a smirk, before sighing slightly. "Ah, here comes _dear _Ryou and his wonderful little friends." Tami looked up in suprise at his slightly sarcastic, bitter voice.

"You don't like him?"

"My brother's fine. I've got nothing against him. It's just... Them and their little _friendship _speeches. It's so unnecessary, and seriously hacks me off," he explained, his voice quietening slightly as they got to a distance where the small group would be able to hear them.

Tamiko looked up, being able to pick out Ryou without much trouble. He looked almost identical to Bakura, but was shorter, his hair without the violent streaks, and it lay flatter, his appearance just generally neater than his brothers.

With him were the people that Bakura apparently hated. A far shorter boy, with slightly ridiculous, spiky, tri-coloured hair – purple and black, with blond parts framing his face neatly. Next to him was another boy who could've been his twin, but taller, and looking more assured of himself.

The rest were relatively normal looking – a tall brunette girl with shoulder length hair, two boys, one with messy blond hair, the other with shorter, brown hair. Finally, there was a slightly more attractive teen, a little away from the group, but still obviously a part of it. He had jet black hair, which was tied up, and a black and red headband across his forehead. His uniform was slightly messy, his jacket hanging open to show a simple black t-shirt.

She pulled her eyes away from the group to look back at the other two, both of which had a similarly horrified, yet defeated expression on their faces.

"Go introduce yourself. Then we might be able to get out alive," Marik muttered, nudging Tami lightly. She pulled a face at them, then stood up, and went to speak to them, glancing over her shoulder to see that the two boys and managed to disappear within the short amount of time she'd had her back to them.

She rolled her eyes. Surely these kids couldn't be too bad.

Still, she felt vaguely apprehensive as they reached her, all with friendly smiles plastered across their faces.

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**AN-** Didja like my flashback? :P Anyway, reviews possibly? *innocent anime face* Next chapter won't be up for quite a while now, but when I do upload again, it will literally be flooded with new chapters :)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- **Okie, I'm finally back from internetless holidays, and here's an upload :) I'm sorry, it's a little shorter than the rest... and I lied a little, I haven't written loads more chapters... It's because adult type people made me go on loong walks and stuff.. and because I got all animation obsessed.. Anyway, I'm gonna shut up now, enjoy ^^

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_Still, she felt vaguely apprehensive as they reached her, all with friendly smiles plastered across their faces._

"Hey there!"

The small, strange haired boy greeted her cheerfully, and the others simply stood and smiled.

"You must be Enoki Tamiko, right? I recognise you from homeroom," he added. Tami raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn't noticed him... Although she had walked out pretty quickly, she would have expected to see someone of his sort. That is, someone with such a nutty hairstyle, that he somehow managed to pull off.

The seemingly older tri-colour haired boy took over from him quickly, sensing a slight discomfort in the way Tamiko's face was set.

"Hi there," she automatically relaxed; this boy had a far more level voice, less pep and general OTT friendliness, "I'm Yami, this is Yugi," he indicated his crazy-happy version, "Tristan, Joey, Téa, and Duke."

He pointed towards each person in turn, and as their names were said they gave some form of greeting, ranging from a short nod to a slightly manic grin and waving. The latter came from the overenthusiastic boy, Yugi. He seemed pretty... Enthusiastic, to say the least, and happy in a creepy way to put it more bluntly.

"Would you like to come sit with us, since those two abandoned you?" The question came form the brunette girl, Téa. Tami considered for a moment, and when she realised she didn't know where the boys had gone to in their attempt to avoid these people, and nodded, smiling back.

Her smile was pretty genuine; she didn't mind them, and was actually quite confused as to why Bakura and Marik didn't like them. Maybe they were just too cheerful for them.

She followed the small group to the field, and they sat down in the shade of a tree. She realised slowly that this was where she'd sat with the others when they'd bunked off previously.

Not that it mattered. It seemed to be a popular tree though. Although... Looking around, it was one of the only trees. Huh. Maybe the school had something against lots of trees.

She shook her head slightly, earning herself an odd look from a few of the teenagers she was sitting with, which she ignored, clearing her head of stupid thoughts quickly.

Most of them had got deeply involved in a conversation that seemed to revolve around Duel Monsters. Although she owned a deck (a pretty kick-ass one too, although she wasn't about to say she could beat all of them quite yet... Although she expected she could) she wasn't all that into the game, or at least, she couldn't talk about it for lengths of time. From what she gathered, Yami and Yugi were a pretty formidable team, but the older teen could beat his lookalike with ease if he felt like it, although he often let him win. Joey and Tristan were teasing Yugi, and Duke was smiling slightly as he listened to, but didn't participate in, the conversation.

Tami scooted over from her seat beside Téa to sit next to him. He seemed the least OTT and cheerful of the others, so she decided he was probably her best bet for a half-way decent conversation. The last thing she needed on her very first day was never-ending pep.

Ok, so she didn't really mind happiness, but still. There's only so much ridiculous cheer one girl could handle per day. She was gonna have to find a way of balancing out who she hung out with, otherwise she might go a little mental. It was possible.

"Hey," she smiled, glancing across at Duke, who looked over, returning her smile.

"Hey. All a bit much for you?" He asked, indicating the crazy group, which seemed to be engaging in a heated discussion about whether or not Tristan could beat Joey at Duel Monsters. Tami simply shrugged.

"Nah... Bakura and that lot are a lot different though. I guess all the childishness is a bit un-nerving." Duke nodded slowly, laughing slightly.

"I got pulled into this group as soon as I walked through the door. It's a bit of a nutty way to start your first day at a new school, surrounded by strangers, but still." Tami laughed as well, then settled back to lean against the tree.

Duke seemed content with not bothering to talk, so Tami sunk back into her thoughts. Duke was new here, and had been pulled into this group, so she guessed that was why he wasn't quite as... She couldn't quite think of a suitable word that wasn't mean, so she gave up pretty fast. They were obviously nice people, but she doubted she'd be able to spend all her time with them. Well, maybe Yami and Duke. They seemed more... normal. But still odd enough to be considered interesting.

After what seemed like an age, the bell for the end of their break rang, and they all began to head back to their homeroom. Duke, Tristan and Téa were in a different form, so they split off when the got into the building.

It was halfway through the register when Bakura and Marik showed up; Bakura with his right eye bruised and Marik with a massive mud splatter across his side. They looked a lot as if they'd just walked into a wall. A muddy wall.

"Sorry miss, had to go see the nurse," Bakura drawled, sauntering to his seat, while Marik smirked, following him.

The teacher didn't even bother telling them off. She seemed to know a lost cause when she saw one. Some of the other students grumbled slightly, but she silenced them by smacking a book against the table top.

Tami could tell this was going to be a long lesson.

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**AN- **sorry, that was probably just more character development, but I'll get writing the next chapter :D Reviews and all that lovely stuff? There will be cookies :D Ok, cyber cookies, but still xD


	5. Chapter 5

**AN-** Hey, another update! I love this story, it's kinda interesting, to me at least :) I know I've done a lot of character development and stuff, but Marik's still full of suprises.. And so is Bakura. I wanna thank the people who've reviewed, I feel all fuzzy when my email inbox tells me I got reviews :D It's pretty inspiring too, so I'll keep trying to update each day :P Anyway, I'll shut up my useless nonsense now so you can read :P Disclaimer the usual :)

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Tami could tell this was going to be a long lesson.

Sure enough, the time passed as if it were trying to crawl through mud. Maths had never been interesting, but today it just seemed like useless gibberish, only there for the sake of filling an hour long slot before everyone could finally return home, or whatever it was teenagers in this school did.

After what appeared to be an elongated week rather than an hour, the final bell rang, and there was a stampede as everyone seemed to crash through every door in the building at the same time. Sighing, Tami waited until almost everyone was out of the way before setting off. Getting crushed to death wasn't very high on her priorities list.

She ambled out of the school grounds, her bag over one shoulder.

She walked past a park, and she glanced over the railings casually, noticing kids playing to the swings, on the climbing walls, Marik getting threatened by a bunch of massive thugs...

Wait, what?!

Her head snapped back around and she froze on the spot, staring as the boys pushed Marik around. For once, Bakura didn't seem to be anywhere near.

The bigger boys though... They were wearing Domino High uniform. Could that be how Bakura had got his black eye? Or how Marik had ended up covered in mud and scrapes? Her mind spun through reasons and theories, before she decided she had to do something.

Even if something was getting beaten up in Marik's place. Why were they picking on him, anyway?

She vaulted over the fence, sprinting across the grass as one of the thugs raised his fist. She wished she'd spent more time practising sports at her old school, but somehow she reached them, her hands closing around the guy's wrist, tugging it back so that his arm twisted.

After a second, the others realised what was happening, and tugged her off him, a large fist smashing into the side of her face, as she fell heavily to the ground.

"Hey, girly, get outta here, s'not like it's anythin' to do with ya," one of them snarled, as the biggest, most thickset of them turned to face her, massaging his wrist angrily. She could see Marik staring at her, mouthing to her to run, but she ignored him.

"He's my friend, right?" She glowered, putting as much venom into her words as she could. One of the smaller teenagers flinched a little. "So why don't _you _clear out?" She added, glaring at them, her hands balled into fists.

There was a pause, and suddenly the oldest looking one burst out laughing, quickly joined by the others.

"Awh, the little girly thinks she can scare us," he smirked, leering down at her. She did her best not to step backwards. "Well, kid, you got another thing coming if that's what ya think," he added with a twisted smile, slamming his fist back into her cheek, as she feel tot he ground for a second time.

Suddenly, the same male let out a yell of shock as something pale barrelled into him, plummeting him powerfully with punches and kicks.

"Get away from my friends, you fucking bastard!" The new-comer shouted furiously, as the teenager crumpled to the ground.

At this point, the others all decided maybe it was best to leave, and did so hurriedly. Tami sat up slowly, rubbing her cheek. It would bruise up badly, but it was better than Marik-pulp stuck to the grass. Marik himself, however, was glowering at her.

"You idiot! Why the fuck did you go and do that?!" He yelled into her face, glaring daggers as she stared at him in shock. She shrugged slowly.

"I just didn't want you to end up as a lousy lump of crap on the floor," she snapped back, hauling herself to her feet. She could now tell that the person who had left the bully cowering on the floor was Bakura. Impressive, she thought to herself, wondering where he'd learnt to maul people like that.

Marik's gaze remained stony. "I can take it," he replied angrily. "It's been going on Ra knows how long, why the hell did you have to get involved?" Bakura watched the two of them in silence, before quickly intervening before Tami received another blow to the face.

"Hey, I intervened as well, may I point out. She was just looking out for you... Just not very well," he smirked, putting his arm around the boy's shoulder. Marik shrugged him off moodily, turning on heel and stalking out of the park.

Bakura just shrugged, glancing over at Tamiko. "You alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, without much real concern on his face.

"Sure," she replied, not bothering to go into details about how it felt like her cheek was on fire. After all, it wasn't really important. She'd just tell her mother she'd walked into a door. It was believable enough.

"You could've been seriously hurt, you know," Bakura pointed out, smirking slightly. Useless sadist, she thought to herself, frowning slightly. "Those guys are pretty ruthless. Next time, can you and Marik wait for me before heading home."

Tami rolled her eyes; the way he said it made it sound as if he was the sole protector of the two of them, and that they were obviously far too hopeless to defend themselves in any way.

She tried to shrug it off though, since she had just taken some pretty bad hits, and wasn't about to complain about someone helping, despite the fact she tried to convince herself she could've dealt with it.

On the other hand, Marik hadn't taken it very well at all. It was almost as if... There was something he was hiding. No, there definitely was something he was hiding. What else could cause people to take such an instant disliking?

"They've known him for a long time. I don't know what the problem is between them, but something happened, I think.." Bakura told her, almost as if he could read her mind. She shrugged, looking more unconcerned than she felt.

Well, at least something had been cleared up. These guys had some sort of reason for what they were doing, whether it was really justified or not. Still... What could make them think it was alright to beat the crap out of people?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She seemed to be doing that a lot today. "I'd better be getting home. I have to fix food for my brother," she said, trying to disguise the hatred in her voice towards the end of the sentence. Bakura noticed, but didn't try to probe any further into what was going on.

Somehow... He thought it might have something to do with her injury. Either way, it was nothing to do with him. The two nodded goodbyes to each other, then went off in their separate directions.

Tami was unconcerned to see her older sibling passed out on the floor when she came in, and simply kicked him aside, hoping it would leave a bruise.

As a person, she wasn't spiteful as such, but treated the man in the same way he treated her; badly. She wandered to the kitchen, pulling open the fridge to see what food was there. Cold pizza, leftovers, half eaten macaroni and cheese, more leftovers, and finally some slightly off looking vegetables and some milk.

She eventually settled for making a stir fry, utilising the remains of the vegetables and some rice she found in the cupboard. She hoped her mom would have the brains to go and buy groceries on her way home, but somehow she doubted it.

Her mother was scatterbrained, an artist and a writer, careless but caring, and more like a sister than a mother at times. Her father didn't bother with mundane things like shopping. He was a business man, effectively the opposite to the woman he'd married. Still, they loved each other, Tami shrugged to herself, pulling a pan out from it's space in the cabinet under the cooker, tossing the chopped vegetables randomly into it, before tipping some of the rice into the cooker. She waited patiently for it all to finish cooking, tapping her finger-tips against the work surface absent mindedly.

After a relatively short amount of time, the rice cooker pinged, and she emptied the contents into two bowls, before adding the vegetables. Not great, but good enough. She picked up a couple of bottles of varying sauces, and dumped everything onto the table the family would usually eat at, before taking her own bowl to her room.

Chances are her brother was conscious by now, and as long as there was food waiting and she wasn't in the room, she'd be fine. It was always the same.

It was at that point that she looked up in shock, hearing heavy footfalls treading up the stairs.

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Hee hee, cliff hanger :) You'll have to wait to see if she get's beat up some more :O I'm a mean person sometimes :P Reviews? There will be more interesting stuff if you do 3


	6. Chapter 6

**AN- **Hee hee, maybe not the greatest cliff hanger, but still :P Yay, uploaded on the same day :D I feel so proud :P It would've been uploaded an hour or so ago, but then I didn't have internet :/ Computers spaz up a lot for me :P Anyway, disclaimer the same as it was whenever I last wrote a proper disclaimer :)

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It was at that point that she looked up in shock, hearing heavy footfalls treading up the stairs.

Tami paused, slowly putting down her bowl on top of her chest of drawers. Broken china would only get her in trouble... But her brother never tried to attack her when their parents would be home within a half hour. He wasn't that stupid.

Still, her heart rose into her throat as she heard him thumping down the passage way. She held her breath as there was a pause in the unsteady rhythm outside her door, and finally let it out in a quite gust as the stepping continued on towards the bathroom.

She really needed to stop jumping to conclusions; it never did her any good, just got her worried, often for no reason. Her pulse was still a little too quick as she went to pick up her bowl again.

She stayed in her room for the rest of the evening, listening to the sounds in the house for a short time, before turning on her CD player again. This time Dragonforce started playing, and she quietly hummed along to 'Starfire', smiling to herself. It was a good song. Relatively cheerful, she thought to herself with a laugh. It wasn't like she only listened to music that was completely dark, 'emo', the kids at school would probably call it.

She didn't care for their useless stereotypes. It only provoked rivalries and hatred. Pessimistic as she often was, she darkly thought to herself about how people were constantly judgemental. At least Yugi and that lot were friendly despite her being friends with Bakura and Marik as well... It suddenly crossed her thoughts that it was very probably that the only reason they weren't avoiding her was that Bakura and Ryou (that was the quieter twins name, right? she asked herself) were brothers.

Hmm. That brought a whole field of new thoughts rushing into her head, and she flopped back onto her bed as she let herself go though each one.

The next thing she knew, it was morning, and the CD player had gone silent long ago.

She glanced around at her clock, gasping as she realised the time. She hurried to get ready, tugging a brush through her hair as she dashed to the door, skipping breakfast as she grabbed her bag and books, shoving the latter roughly into the backpack which was then slung untidily across her shoulder.

She reached the park before she stopped running, realising she wasn't even close to being late anymore, as she noticing Bakura and Marik. Both had impressive marks across their faces, laughing together.

Tami frowned slightly. Marik seemed to have massive mood swings. One moment he was smiling, then furious. She shrugged it off mentally, wishing she could stop having to question every little thing.

She jogged over to them, smiling as they greeted her cheerfully despite their current injuries. The threesome walked the rest of the way together, talking and joking, most of the things they were saying making little or no sense.

They arrived well before the first bell, and after a few minutes of just chatting, the 'Yugi group', as she was beginning to think of it arrived, and she allowed them to drag her off, tossing an apologetic glance towards the two teenagers, before looking back at the slightly deranged looking group.

Today Yami and Duke were deep in conversation, although yesterday they hadn't seemed all that close at all. Maybe the sane kids liked to stick together, she thought to herself, smirking. She ignored the conversation Téa tried to pull her into, opting to try and get involved in the other conversation.

She changed her mind quickly though; the two boys were talking about complex things involving a new game Duke was apparently developing. From what she could gather, he was actually an incredibly successful game designer. Plot twist, she thought to herself sarcastically, smiling slightly.

After a while, she gave up trying to understand the two of them, and sighed, drifting to the back of the crowd, and blanking out Joey and Tristan while they yelled stuff about her having a crush on Duke.

She'd heard that Tristan was meant to be one of the top students or something, but she couldn't really tell from how he was acting, although she didn't really care. If he wanted to twat around, sure, why not. It wasn't like she was always completely mature all the time.

The bell rung at that point, and she gratefully made her way to get registered before her first lesson, sitting at the back with Bakura and Marik as she had done yesterday. They smiled identical smirks, and Bakura made a comment about how she was lucky to still be alive surrounded by such an over-friendly mob.

She noticed Ryou wasn't in today, and glanced at Bakura again, who mouthed 'sick' with a shall shrug, before answering his own name.

The first few lessons passed surprisingly quickly, and before Tami could quite recognise what she was even supposed to be learning about, the bell went for break.

Everyone jumped to their feet promptly, leaving the classroom in a more orderly way than they had yesterday afternoon.

Yugi and the rest were waiting outside the classroom for Joey, who had managed to get yelled at twice during the lesson. Tami smiled towards them, but only received smiles in return from Yami and Duke. The other two simply tossed a short glare at her, before turning back to the door.

She stared at them for a second, before turning sharply and heading for the lockers. She frowned, guessing her 'paranoid' theory about Ryou and Bakura had been right after all. Bloody typical, she growled in her head, almost walking straight into Marik, who turned to swear loudly at her, before smiling instead.

"Oh, hey. I was about to chew you out for not paying attention, but I guess you like zoning out," he laughed.

Today he was holding a homemade lunch as well. Apparently the school food hadn't been up to standard. Bakura on the other hand appeared around the corner laden down with roughly the same meal he'd had yesterday, complaining loudly about the amount of time Marik was taking.

There was a short pause while they all stared at each other, then they burst out laughing together, and Tami rolled her eyes at the way they were acting. It was almost childish, apart from the fact the jokes they made were pretty far from that.

Well, it was childish, but not in a way that would be associated with anyone much younger than... well, not much younger than them, honestly.

They headed towards the shade of the tree, before turning sharply as they realised it was already occupied.

"Useless brats," Bakura hissed, turning to drag the other two towards a set of metal outdoor steps. He seemed to fume for barely more than a few seconds before relaxing again.

From what Tami could tell, he was telling Marik about the way the others were acting towards her. She coughed loudly, and they both turned to look at her.

"If you want to talk about me, can I at least be included?" She asked, although it sounded less like she was giving them a choice, and more like she was telling them to include her. They nodded concurrently, and she pulled a face as they moved in unison again.

She wondered if they were even conscious of what they were doing, but then decided it didn't matter. It was just... A part of the crazy Bakura-Marik package.

They continued to talk, Bakura complaining loudly about how two-faced they all were, and how thick his brother must be, while Marik muttered darkly about how he'd like to strangle them all. Tami smiled slightly, nodding in appropriate places, laughing quietly at Marik's more outlandish torturous thoughts, and generally enjoying company of people that were... Well, frankly put, far more interesting and genuine.

After barely five minutes, they grew bored of bitching about Ryou's friends, and instead decided to talk about TV shows they'd seen. Tamiko couldn't help noticing that they were all kiddies shows, and also that she watched them all as well.

She joined in the conversation properly at that point, and after the initial suprise the boys' faces reflected, they went back to laughing and mocking various happenings.

It was a lot like they'd been friends for years, although Tami had known them for such a short time. Two days felt longer, and shorter at the same time. They were good fun, that was for sure.

Of course, she now remembered she had science after the break. And unwittingly, she'd partnered with Téa yesterday. This should be interesting, she thought to herself, as the bell went again. Timing couldn't be better, she groaned to herself, trying to ignore the slight sense of dread that was beginning to settle around her.

Useless bitches. Even her thoughts were growling as she remembered the look she'd received earlier, and she hoped that maybe Téa was fake enough to put on an act around Yugi. Strange thing to hope, that.

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**AN- **Yeah, more hopeful cliffhangers that aren't actually cliffhangers at all :) I've got the next chapter in the works at the moment, but I'll wait a while before posting it, because I'm mean... Hee hee :D Anyway, review and stuff? I'll be all motivated :P Oh yeah, and if anyone would like to say what they like most about this story, it means I can focus a little more on that.. Otherwise there'll just be large numbers of fights and blood. Because I like doing that. Mua ha ha! Anyway, I'm gonna shut up now and finish off that next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN- **Yay, another update! I just spent a while writing this, and now it's all done and stuff, with yet another lame chapter end :) Anyway, disclaimer same as always, enjoy the chapter :D

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Even her thoughts were growling as she remembered the look she'd received earlier, and she hoped that maybe Téa was fake enough to put on an act around Yugi. Strange thing to hope, that.

She stomped up to the labs, which seemed to always decide to be on the opposite side of the entire school to her. Maybe it was a conspiracy. The thought made her laugh despite herself, earning herself an odd look from Marik, who seemed depressed now.

She figured he hated science, after all, there was a lot to do with Bunsen burners and he was so clumsy she reckoned he'd burn himself at least three times this lesson. She'd have to keep a tally.

She dumped her bag beside her stool, earning herself a glare from Téa. As if she was being too loud or something equally stupid. It would almost be excusable if she was a quiet, shy person, but no. The brunette was impossibly loud and chatty at the best of times, and just plain irritating at the worst. Both of which had happened yesterday. One day could make a lot of impressions. Many of them inaccurate as well, it seemed.

She shrugged into a lab coat, blanking out the odd looks she was receiving from her so-called 'friends'. She suddenly remembered the bruises that were covering the right side of her face. She slipped back to her seat, plugging the burner into the gas.

Téa suddenly leant over to whisper in Tami's ear. She jumped slightly, then listen properly.

"The guys wanted to know how you got those bruises. We all think it's a bit... gross... and that you really shouldn't get in with Bakura and that crowd. It's obvious what happened."

Tamiko almost burst out laughing. Sure, it had sort of been Marik's fault, but the three of them having a fist fight? These kids were stupid... So, so unbelievably dense!

"Marik was getting beaten up, and I stepped in to try and stop them from beating him to a pulp. Then I got a bit beaten up, and then Bakura saved both out butts. So how about you all stop jumping to bloody idiotic conclusions?" Her final sentence was delivered with suprising venom, and Téa held up her hands defensively, looking slightly suprised.

"Oh. Right." Tamiko shot a slight glare at Téa. It was so obvious she didn't believe a word that had just been said.

The rest of the lesson passed in a bit of a haze, while Tami grumbled inwardly about how mistrustful people were, how judgmental, how naive, how stupid they all acted.

Couldn't a girl try to stop her friends getting beaten up? Apparently everyone thought she should've backed off and let Bakura deal with everything. But by that time, Marik could've ended up with Ra knows how many broken bones.

The one thing no-one seemed to understand was that she was different, sure, unique, definitely, but that she loved to help out the people who would help her in return. She didn't love the fact that she'd have to lie to her parents tonight about how she'd ended up with such horrible bruises, but it was all fine.

She was used to lying about injuries. Her brother wouldn't be thrilled someone else had taken the liberty of causing her pain though.

Her brother. Fucking drunkard, she thought to herself furiously. Why was everything so twisted in her life? She was determined to change it, but not have to change herself. Maybe there would have to be compromises but for now, at least, she would just try to change things bit by bit.

She was absorbed in her thoughts for pretty much the rest of the day, oblivious to everything around her. Eventually, she felt someone tugging on her sleeve. She turned her head, snapping back to reality.

At first she thought it would be Yugi or someone equally annoying, but it turned out to be Marik. A slightly nervous looking Marik, with several bandages around his hands from the lab, but still.

"Hey, Bakura's got soccer after school today. Could you walk the detour to my place with me?" Tami raised an eyebrow slightly, but nodded. Obviously the detour and the park were both pretty lousy places for him to go alone.

The two of them left together, shouting goodbye to Bakura as he sprinted towards the field, waving casually over his shoulder to them.

They walked for a while in silence, and Tami began to wonder how long the detour would take. She was about to ask, when he pulled her sharply down a back-street. She looked around herself as they continued, shivering slightly. It seemed a bit... Creepy.

Marik's walking sped up now; he seemed determined to get somewhere before –

He froze as a raucous laugh sounded from somewhere just in front of them. Several big guys stepped around the corner, smirking threatening.

"Oh look, the lad's got a girly!" One of them sniggered, pushing the two of them back into the middle of the alleyway as they tried to get past.

"Since when did you bring girls home, Ishtar?" Another asked, leering at her in a very disconcerting way.

"She just offered to walk home with me since my other friend couldn't," he said, his voice a lot stronger than he really felt; Tami could see him shaking slightly. She wondered what they were talking about, there seemed to be some double meanings going on that she didn't understand.

"Well, isn't that _lovely_," one of the one's who hadn't spoken yet chipped in with a sarcastic smirk. "So, no-one to save your sorry little ass today?" Marik swallowed, looking slightly pissed off now.

"Oh just get out of our fucking way," he snarled, making another attempt to get through the crowd and failing.

"I don't think so, kid," the first speaker snapped, pushing him backwards roughly. Marik stumbled, but somehow managed to stay on his feet. Tami watched in horror as one of them pulled a knife out of his pocket. She stepped forwards, raising her hands defensively.

"Hey, look... Can we just get past? It's just I kind of need to get home before my parents start sending out search parties." She dropped her hands to her side, one going to her waist, and she stood with a strange sort of defiant confidence.

The men paused, then shrugged. "So wait, people would notice you missing?" One of them asked slowly, realising this was slightly disadvantageous for them. The last thing they needed was to be surrounded by people within minutes.

"Yeah, course," she nodded, her voice still very sure even thought she was lying through her teeth. A couple of the less threatening men decided they were bored with the situation at that point, and slowly began to disperse.

As soon as they realised the bulk of the group was beginning to ebb away, more left, and eventually there was only the guy with the knife and another, slightly bigger man left. They grumbled quietly for a moment, debated what they should do, and eventually backed off.

"You're lucky this time, you goth piece of shit," the knife guy snarled over his shoulder, before heading down another street.

Marik glared after them, then turned his steadily growing anger towards Tami.

"What the hell is _with _you?!" he snapped, earning himself a suprised look. "Why do you always jump in and do stupid stuff?! Get the fuck out of here," he snarled, and Tami took a step away.

"Hey, I just saved your sorry butt, and I'm only here because you asked, you ungrateful loser!" She shouted in return, but continued to back away, slightly concerned by the look on his face. It was slightly crazed...

Before she could notice anything else different about the teen, he had turned on his heel and ran. Slowly, she turned back, and began to head home, a frown of confusion clouding her expression and thoughts as she walked.

What exactly was going on with Marik? She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know.

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**AN- **You might've figured it out now, but if not, it's going to be interesting later x] Anyway, reviews? *innocent angel face* I likes them muchly, they make me feel all happy and stuff :D


	8. Chapter 8

**AN- **Hmm, looking back this seems a lot more like a lot of random thoughts on Tamiko's part... Still, it might unravel a few little 'plot-twists' to come... Maybe I should start planning my stories, instead of just writing :P Still, I'm lucky this is uploaded today, since my internet's been spazzing around all day. Ah well, please, read, enjoy, disclaimer same as ever :)

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What exactly was going on with Marik? She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know.

What was going on with him? The same thought kept running through her head as she slowly ate her meal, cooked for once by her mother, ignoring the slightly concerned glances that were thrown her way as the adults noticed how much she had spaced out.

Her brother was out again; drinking, no doubt. She didn't care though. Today she just kept running through her mind what could be up with that boy.

The crazed look in his eyes before he'd legged it… That wasn't normal. Was he insane? Schizo? That seemed more possible, what with his mood swings. Still not the best theory though… His sister, or parents, or whatever wouldn't let him out if he had something like that.

Maybe it was something to do with that weird gold stick thing she'd noticed in his bag. He seemed pretty protective over it, and had pushed it out of sight as soon as he'd realized she'd been looking at it. Still, the idea that some pretty golden ornament could affect him so drastically was a bit outlandish.

She switched to trying to figure out what the guys in the alley had really meant. She knew there was something underlying the words, but at the moment, she couldn't figure it out.

She finished her food eventually, gathering up the dishes and washing them up. She could feel her parents stares on the back of her head. She was moving as if she was wading through water, every movement slow and measured.

She could guess why they were acting like she'd been abducted and replaced; she was usually a very bouncy, bubbly girl, with plenty of life about her, and a slightly eccentric attitude towards decisions. She must be acting… Effectively opposite to how she would usually be.

Still, she ignored it, heading to her room as soon as she'd pushed the dishes back into their proper places, flopping down on her bed.

That seemed to be happening far too often recently. Two days and she was already thoroughly tired of everything happening around her. Between secrets, two faced friends, getting beaten up and school work, she barely had time to breath, and the term had barely even started.

It was certainly going to be interesting… She quickly came to a conclusion; she wanted to find out Marik's secret first, if he had one. There had to be a reason that all these massive thugs were attacking him every day, and why he had to walk home with someone.

She shook her head, then went to her desk, firing up her laptop. It was ancient, and she hated to use it, but she had very little to do, plus she had an essay to write. Already. School was already beginning to pile on homework, and they'd barely even arrived.

She continued to grumble and moan inwardly, tapping her fingers against the table as she waited impatiently for the stupid thing to load. After about ten minutes, by which point she was surprised she wasn't denting the desk top, it finally beeped into reality, and she pulled up the internet wondering what she was going to do.

She settled for typing 'Ishtar' into the search box, and waiting another minute before the results came up.

She clicked the first one that came up, and after yet more waiting (computer's could be so useless sometimes, she groaned) a museum page came up. Something about an Ancient Egyptian exhibit. She vaguely remembered being told that Marik was Egyptian now, so it made sense really.

She scrolled a bit, searching for a name. Finally, she found one, but it wasn't Marik.

'_Ishizu Ishtar is currently running the most-visited exhibit in the museum-' _Tamiko blanked out there. So his sister was out of school, and probably not home much. She somehow doubted the wounds bothered her either. Hmm. She'd have to ask Bakura, but be careful about it. Marik was his friend, and she didn't know if it was information that would be happily shared around.

She suddenly remembered something.

Didn't Ryou wear a necklace, that was roughly the same shade of gold as that small staff thing Marik had? Actually, so did Yugi… Only his was a pyramid. Huh.

She scanned through the article again, finding a picture. The woman was wearing a necklace as well… And although it was hard to tell, it looked a lot as if it was the same shade again. Weird.

Tamiko eventually gave up on the computer, and settled for writing the first part of the essay she had. She couldn't tell any magical reason why these things would be linked with Marik's mood swings. In fact, maybe it was just him. Maybe… She was just being paranoid? The more she thought about it, the more sure she became.

It was obvious she was being stupid. After all, nothing could really affect someone that much, right? No, it was something else.

It was seven pm before she realized she had barely written two lines of her essay. Stupid school, she thought irately, snapping off the power without waiting for the laptop to realize it was meant to be closing.

At the moment, she was just too preoccupied with… Well, with life, really. School was a part of that, but it seemed quite unimportant. She had to figure out what was going on with the people around her, and more importantly, she had to figure out what she was really doing hanging out with the people she did hang out with.

Téa and the others were judgmental, Bakura was just plain unconcerned, and Marik was apparently an insane psycho. No, that was a bit mean. Maybe not insane. Or particularly just psychotic. But there was something the matter, she could tell. It was just a matter of either figuring it out herself, or persuading someone to tell her.

Neither seemed like they would be easy, but it didn't bother her. She had time on her hands to think about it, and in the meantime... Maybe it would be good to get more rest.

It looked like she'd need it.

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**AN- **Well, there's an eighth chapter :D Once again, thanks to the people who've reviewed and favorited and all that wonderful stuff, it makes me feel so happy x] Anyway, I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with another installment of Tamiko's life going downhill :) More of her brother being a psycho maybe? I still need a name for him... So if you'd like to give any suggestions, I'd be incredibly grateful, but no worries :P


	9. Chapter 9

**AN-** Another update! Once again, many thanks to the brilliant people who've been reviewing and all that, especially to Forever Amuto, who's been crowding my email inbox with reviews. Well, maybe not crowding, but still, you know what I mean. Yay, exaggeration! Anyway, thanks to everyone who's reading! And now, you can ignore me and begin this chapter, disclaimers the same as always.

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Maybe it would be good to get more rest. It looked like she'd need it.

She woke up early the next morning, stretching, and moving around to deal with getting ready for school at a comparatively relaxed and unhurried pace. She set off from the house far too early, and ended up sitting on one of the slightly less destroyed swings while she waiting for the two boys, who would undoubtedly be a little late.

She hummed cheerfully to herself, stopping abruptly with a small gasp as a strong hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder, practically making her fall off the swing, her thoughts racing as she considered the number of overly big and dangerous looking bullies it could be, so it was more of a relief when she turned to find Bakura with an amused smirk on his face.

"Damn! You scared me," she smiled, flicking him lightly on the shoulder, and finding herself in a headlock pretty quickly. They struggled and pretend to fight for a few seconds, before Bakura finally let go of Tami's neck, and let her straighten herself out a bit.

It wasn't until that point that she noticed that Marik wasn't there with his usual amused smirk as he watched them.

"Where's Marik got to?" she questioned, as Bakura shrugged in response.

"Dunno, I waited a few minutes for him to show, but then gave up. He's never late, Ra knows what he'd playing at today." The teenager still managed to sound completely relaxed even when his face had creased into a frown. Tami wondered momentarily how he even managed it, before switching her thoughts to stroll down a different path.

"Hey, have you ever noticed anything... odd... about Marik?" She asked, half expecting yet another disconcertingly uncaring shrug. So she was pleasantly unsuprised when this was exactly the response she received.

"He's an odd guy, I guess. Bit moody from time to time." His tone seemed evasive though, and Tami immediately figured there was something he knew but didn't want to share.

"What d'you mean?" She asked, trying to make the question sound casual, rather than prying.

"Oh, you know... Goth..." He smirked slightly, as Tamiko pointed out that he was as well, before countering easily. "You can't really talk either, you know," he chuckled, indicting her outlined eyes and wristband.

"Oh whatever." She rolled her eyes, still with a slight smile. Her smile seemed to have been changing recently, from her original, open, bright smile, to a slightly more shaded, dark one. She just assumed it was to do with everything happening, and ignored it, just like she ignored practically everything else.

The two of them began the walk to the school from the park, arriving at about the same time as the bell went, leaving them very little time to shove everything into their respective lockers and get to homeroom.

They sat down near the back, as always, and Bakura opened a spare notebook and began to doodle. Since when did he draw? The thought vaguely passed through Tami's mind, but she didn't really care that much, so she ignored it.

She really was ignoring a lot. Maybe that was just the best way to survive at school... Or maybe she'd always done it, and just hadn't ever realised before now.

Either way, it made very little difference, and wasn't something to dwell on.

She answered her name in a pretty lifeless way, earning herself a sarcastic comment from the teacher about what a brilliant mood she must be in this morning.

She just shrugged and continued to stare into space, until she realised 'space' was actually 'Bakura', and the next lesson would start pretty soon and she'd be late if she didn't effectively sprint the whole way, with the slightly irate teen in tow.

The two of them arrived just in time, and took their places quietly. Well, mostly quietly. Bakura just had to make a loud comment about the time it takes to run from one place to another.

Halfway through, the door suddenly slammed open, and everyone turned, half expecting to see some angry teacher or something similar.

Instead, they were greeted by the sight of a slightly mashed-up-looking Marik.

He looked a lot as if he'd run headlong into a wall. And then done it again several more times. There were bruises and small scratches with dried blood caked around them running down the whole left side of his face, plus a few more slightly yellowing bruises scattered across the rest of his face, along with a slightly horrific jagged cut running along his cheek and across the bridge of his nose.

Despite all of this, and the fact that he was limping slightly, he still had a smirk in place, and it didn't even seem slightly strained. It was almost as if it was nothing new.

Tamiko felt a stab of sympathy, remembering what it was like to be scarred like that. It had been a pretty long time since she'd looked even half as bad as that, and the scar on her face was already starting to fade a bit more, but she knew how much it would be hurting.

From behind her, she heard Bakura mutter 'Not again', in a tone that emitted everything but pity. She felt faintly annoyed, but couldn't help but wander who had done that to the unfortunate blond.

Yugi's whole group were whispering, with the exception of Yami, who seemed a lot more unconcerned than he should be, apparently in agreement with Bakura.

Did they know each other then?

As vocal as the male liked to be about the majority of the group, she'd never heard him mouth off the more confident tri-haired boy. Somehow, she felt they had a connection. It was the same with Ryou and Bakura, actually, they always seemed to know what the other was thinking without having to say anything at all.

She'd only noticed it on one occasion, but still. It was a bit odd, even for twins, to seem to understand each other so perfectly.

For half a second, Tami considered the idea that Marik might feel a bit left out, not having a sibling he was close to, but it was dismissed quickly. Marik didn't care about things like that, he cared about...

Well, that was a good point actually. He disliked many things (whiny two-faced losers being the top ten things he enjoyed complaining about) but she'd never really seen him passionate about anything.

That said, she'd known him for all of two days, and already was unable to describe what he was like at all. He was just too weird, with too many mood swings, too many unanswerable questions about the way he acted and reacted.

In short, he was odd, and no-one seemed to get him but Bakura. The two obviously had a lot in common. It was just a matter of figuring out the similarities and differences.

The rest of the few lessons before break time ghosted past, and the now completed trio headed outside.

Tamiko smiled while she listened to Bakura comment lightly on the array of new shades of purple Marik's face was currently sporting, and the simply _wonderful _way they accented his eyes. He took on a very phoney, British voice – a mock of his brother, she assumed; he spoke with a slight English accent – and played it out incredibly camp, while Marik laughed at him in return.

Strange kids, she shrugged to herself, laughing quietly as their comments got more and more ridiculous. In a way, they seemed a lot like brothers.

"Awh, come on Marik, have a hug to make up for what the big bad boys did to ya face," Bakura laughed, and suddenly received a very dangerous glare.

Tami frowned in suprise, watching as Marik stalked off yet again.

"What was that all about?"

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**AN- **So, Marik's getting beaten up, and all sorts of fun things will be happening next chapter. In theory, anyway. :P Anyway, reviews? Bloodstained Marik plushie to anyone who does ;D well, maybe not bloodstained.. or anything... but I'll mention you at the beginning of the next chapter :D


	10. Chapter 10

**AN- **Okie, another chapter! Once again, many thanks to FA, who seems to have decided to review each time a chapter gets put up, which is brilliant *cyber hug* Anyway, all of my big plot twist type thingies are in this chapter, so hopefully it's not a disappointment. Same old disclaimer, although there's an idea that's mine. All mine. MUA HA HA *cough* anyway... Enjoy!

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Tami frowned in suprise, watching as Marik stalked off yet again. "What was that all about?"

Bakura just laughed. "He's… hug-ophobic," he shrugged, managing to keep that obstinately uncaring look on his face. Tamiko almost felt like slapping him. Why couldn't he be a bit more bothered about his supposedly best friend?

Then it hit her. He knew, and that's why he didn't care. Because… it was nothing to worry about? Something that only Marik could deal with, maybe?

She considered this for a moment, and figured she'd got it roughly right.

"Marik's hiding something, isn't he?" She blurted out unintentionally, before clapping a hand over her mouth, but not quite sure whether she should tell him to ignore that yet.

He shifted slightly, an uncommon emotion flitting across his face. Uncertainty… Or surprise? Something similar, and also something that was immensely out of place on the over-confident teens face. It made her feel… Slightly uncomfortable, was that why she suddenly felt nervous? No, it was more likely because one of the most unconcerned people has just showed some form of emotion that didn't make it seem as if life were his armchair. Or recliner. Pool, maybe… She was going off subject again.

The slight gap in his unbothered mask was fixed as quickly as it was broken, and for a moment Tami half-thought she'd imagined even the slightly break. No, it had definitely been there, she thought, nodding to herself, and earning a slightly raised eyebrow from Bakura.

"Marik? Yeah, I guess he's got his share of secrets, but who doesn't?" Now Bakura seemed intent on turning the conversation around, and keeping it away from Marik's possible problems. That just made Tami even more sure she was right.

Bakura wasn't an evasive person. He was blunt, and generally very to the point. Not often one to counter question with question… At least, that was what she'd picked up about him so far. And she didn't really have tons to go on.

She pouted slightly, and Bakura realized he wasn't going to get away particularly easily from this. With a sigh, he dragged her away from the slight crowd nearby, so that they were out of earshot.

"Right, look. Don't tell him I told you though, ok?" His voice was low, and Tamiko nodded immediately, waiting for him to continue.

"You know Ryou's necklace? The ring thing?" Tami nodded again, motioning for him to continue, which he did after a moment of deliberation.

"Well, that's where I used to live," he held up a hand to stop her from making a skeptic remark. "No, let me finish. It was before I had any real being. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but you had to be there to understand. Basically, I used to be a spirit. An ancient spirit, residing in the ring until I could make my own form.

We decided to put ourselves as brothers, no-one could complain, we were similar enough. It wasn't much of a stretch to see us as twins." He paused, letting his words sink in, almost as if for effect.

"Yami's the same. Like him, I don't really have any name of my own, so I just took Ryou's surname. That's why Marik called me the 'Thief King' when he introduced me to you." He smiled slightly. "But Marik, he's got this rod. The Millennium Rod," he added, as if this would make sense.

"He's also got a spirit, but it still has to possess him to have any form. His dark side. It – he – hasn't yet got a proper human body, so he's stuck in Marik's head. That's why he has such massive mood swings."

Bakura finally seemed to be done with his story, since he now shrugged, and turned towards the school building just as the next bell went.

"So there you go. But don't go feeling sorry for him, he doesn't want pity. He just wants his bloody dark side out of his head, and I don't blame him. As ancient spirits go, he's pretty cranky." And Bakura actually laughed a little. As if it were hilarious that his best friend was host to a screwed-in-the-head spirit.

With a slightly over-dramatic eye roll, Tami turned towards the school as well, half-jogging some of the way to get to class on time. She luckily arrived just before the second bell, managing to keep herself out of detention, and merely earning a glare from the teacher, who told them both to sit down and get out their books, which they did.

Bakura began to draw again, she noticed, half listening to the teacher ramble on about whatever it was they were meant to be learning about, and half glancing absent-mindedly around the classroom for something more interesting.

The fakees, as she had now dubbed them, were all pretending to listen avidly, while they were really flicking scraps of paper at each other. Huh. Weirdos. At least Yami was paying more attention. How could be really be the dark side to Yugi? Yugi seemed so much more… twisted, in some ways. Useless fake piece of –

Her thoughts cut off, as she noticed that Marik kept wincing, his hands beneath the desk. He seemed to be having a massive, internal struggle. She assumed it was to do with the psycho who was forcing him to play host.

She ignored it, since Bakura had told her not to get involved. Although, something didn't seem quite right. Such as the way Marik kept wincing, his hands firmly under the table. As if this spirit thing, whoever or whatever it was, was at least partially in control of him. Strange.

Still, she forced herself to look away and pay attention to the lesson. It wouldn't be great if her grades started dropping so soon. Although, she'd have to find some way of talking to Marik without bringing out this darker version of him.

Bakura was obviously a more… evil? Was that the right word? Not really, but it would have to do. He was obviously an evil side to Ryou, as was Yami… but Marik seemed dark enough on his own. The idea that he had another side, a darker, scarier, and most likely more dangerous, one was quite worrying.

Maybe it would be better if the spirit left, rather than tried to get it's own body.

She jumped slightly as a note skidded onto the desk in front of her. She unfolded it quickly, scanning over it.

'_Oh yeah, I forgot, as long as we have the Millennium Items belonging to us with us, we can read each other's thoughts. Me and Ryou, that is. I assume it's the same for Yami and the dweeb.'_

Tami nodded slightly to herself. Yeah, that made sense. Like how the two tri-coloured boys managed to say so little but still know what was happening in seconds. Although, the idea that they were psychic was a little... Hard to believe.

Ra, this was only the first week of school! Hell knows what other sorts of crazy secrets were floating around, if this one was now uncovered. Insanity, she mused, folding her arms on the desk as she thought through everything.

Although it made sense and everything, it was pretty far fetched. Maybe they weren't intending her to believe it. In fact, maybe it was just an elaborate ruse.

Anything was possible, it seemed.

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**AN-** Well, there's my so-called plot twist or whatever xD Anyway, there's probably still a lot left to this story, maybe I should've been grouping the chapters differently... Nah, doesn't matter, I guess.. :P Anyway, reviews welcomed and put into a special folder I made in my email! Hugs to everyone who's reviewed already and is still reading this 3


	11. Chapter 11

**AN-** Ok, so it's a short chapter this time, don't hurt me! *cowers and covers head* Ok, so because it's the day that English people set off loud fireworks to celebrate the near-assassination of a lot of people (yay for Guy Fawkes?) I don't have much time. Because there is fireworks to explode :] Sorry though! Disclaimer the usual, but I also don't own the Paramore song, which is a shame.. ANyway, enjoy :)

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Anything was possible, it seemed.

The rest of the day, and week, for that matter, slipped past without much more drama or complaint. Marik has obstinately begun to walk to and from school alone, picking up bruises and cuts everyday, crisscrossing the sides of his faces and forehead as if they were becoming permanent.

The worst ones would fade slowly, but be replaced far too quickly. The bruises were so constant parts of his face sometimes looked as if they'd never regain their original, tan shade.

After a few days, it became old news. When he returned after the weekend looked even worse than before, barely anyone even batted an eyelid. It was getting boring. Bakura still acted the same, as if nothing was wrong, and only Tamiko seemed to even think about the marks that covered his face, and in fact arms as well.

Rumors that had started had already grown old; when news wasn't new and exciting, it was just… Well, in this case, it was just Marik. And Marik himself was still mostly the same. Crazy mood swings, cheerful, rude… The same as ever.

But there was a difference. He was a bit _too _happy, his mood swings were becoming a little more erratic, and his language was getting worse. But no-one noticed, because it was all far too gradual.

It had already been two weeks into school now. Tami counted herself lucky. Other than the one attack, a week before school had started, her brother had been ignoring her entirely. The scar was practically completely gone – even she only knew it was there from the odd twinge if she laughed to hard, or frowned too much.

By the weekend, she was almost managing to persuade herself everything was fine. Until she heard the dreaded words that left her alone in the house.

"Honey, we're heading out now, behave!" She almost groaned, but stopped herself, pulling a smile onto her face as she hugged her mother goodbye, smiling at her dad.

She watched them leave with a sick sort of feeling in her stomach, before heading to her room and cranking up the volume on her stereo. Again, another CD was there, blasting music around the house.

'_If I'm a bad person, you don't like me,'_

She smiled slightly at the lyrics, asking herself the same question. A small gap in the music let her hear as the door crashed open, and loud cursing followed from the verbal assault that reached the mans ears.

'_What's my offence this time?_

_You're not a judge, but if you're gonna judge me_

_Well sentence me to another life.'_

She found herself singing despite herself, trying to ignore the heavy stamping up the stairs. It'd be worth it at least. This was a new album, she'd only got it really recently.

Her door swung open to a chorus of '_Ignorance is your new best friend' _and she quickly shut out the music, waiting for the shouting and pain to start.

It didn't.

"Holy Ra, turn the bloody music down, I need to study," was all that was said, before he left the room again. Tami stared in shock. Her brother, the crazed alcoholic, has just some into her room sober and said something about work.

He had to have sustained major brain damage. It was the only conclusion. That was, until she remembered that college still existed to him.

She could swear he'd been chucked out… No, that wasn't right. He was still there… And had some form of exam coming up to. A big enough one to pull him out of his usual drunken stupor and actually buckle down and do something. Wow.

Tami slowly turned her music back up, but not half as loud. She still couldn't believe he'd been polite. The same Fuyusuke that had been a good big brother when she'd been so young. That was just… Freaky, in all honesty.

Still, she wasn't going to complain. If he was going to do work rather than assault her… Well, it could only ever be a good thing. For the rest of the night, the two siblings stayed in their respective rooms, happily ignoring the others existence.

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**AN-** Ok, so I finally found a name, added a tiny plot-twist, and generally tried to make it interesting. I also figured it'd be smart to skip through two weeks because I've been pretty slow time-wise during the story. So yeah, rate and review, and thanks so much to DaAmazingMeepers for my cyber cookie! Tis appreciated and returned :D


	12. Chapter 12

**AN- **Ok, sorry, but it's another short chapter. Actually, it's more of a filler than a chapter, and I'm actually quite happy with how this one ends. Dunno how obvious what I'm gonna do tomorrow is, but still... I'm very sorry it's short, but the thing is, this chapter almost didn't happen. Because I half-forgot to write it... And then it was a bit late... Eh heh.... Sorry, but enjoy! I'll try and write a much longer chapter tomorrow to make up for my recent hopelessness! As per usual, thanks to people for their wonderful reviews, and disclaimer the same old.

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For the rest of the night, the two siblings stayed in their respective rooms, happily ignoring the others existence.

Tami spent pretty much the rest of the weekend on her own, keeping to her room, just in case her brother decided to go and get pissed again. Suprisingly, he didn't, and she slowly began to wander around the house, music blasting from the massive headphones she'd taken to wearing around her neck.

Her phone had buzzed on the Saturday; Bakura wanted to know if she wanted to come see a movie. She'd declined. Sure, movies were fun, but nothing new had been out recently, and she doubted Marik would actually show up, and then it would feel uncomfortably like a date.

The weekend was far too short for her liking, and before she really got into the whole 'weekend' vibe, she was woken up far too early and forced to drag herself to school, her bag feeling like a dead weight. She wasn't even sure why school felt so ominous today. As if something awful was going to happen.

Even the freaking weather agreed, she moaned silently, as fat droplets of rain began to pelt her head. Within five minutes, she was soaked through, and instead of waiting for Bakura and Marik, she jogged the rest of the way to school, hoping for the warmth that would come with the safety of indoors.

It felt like hail was attacking her in a strange type of warfare, and she was slightly out of breath as she reached the dry depths of the school hallways, dripping a small puddle around her feet as she tried to figure out where the nearest radiator would be.

She settled for the one near her in the homeroom, and made her way quickly up there.

As soon as she reached the door, she shoved it open, dashing over to the radiator, which was mercifully on. She leant her back against it as she stared out of the window at the rain that ran down the window pane. It really was a horrible day, even if it were close to the end of September.

After what seemed like a relatively short time, she heard the bell go off, and people began to trickle into the room, taking their places.

Pleased with her current state of dryness, which was admittedly not too bad; she at least wasn't dripping everywhere anymore, and she felling nicely warm, she went to sit in her seat.

One of the last into the room was Bakura, closely followed by a strangely relieved looking Marik. Some of his scars were fading now. He almost looked as if he hadn't been beaten up recently. And behind him was…

Holy Ra. That couldn't be right.

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**AN- **Well, another short chapter, again, I'm so sorry! It's the weekend tomorrow though, so I'll hopefully be able to write a few chapters in that time :D Um, reviews? Even though I don't deserve them for my laziness D: But still, cyber cookies to anyone who wishes to review :D


	13. Chapter 13

**AN-** Ok, so not only am I updating early, but I've also written roughly twice as much, to make up for my uselessness over the past two days. I hope you like it, even thought it spends a lot fo time on description and the like... Eh heh, I really hope this makes up for the last two chapters, and I hope the cliffhanger was worth what's coming this chapter. Dislaimer the same as ever. Enjoy! :D

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Holy Ra. That couldn't be right.

Marik glanced in her direction, and his expression wasn't like anything she'd seen from him before. He almost looked… Scared? No, terrified more like. Terrified of the crazed lookalike that was walking behind him.

Maybe 'lookalike' was too blunt a term. They didn't look much alike. This version was wilder, crazier. He had an insane air about him. The same insanity that had sometimes showed in Marik's eyes, only that had been watered down by far.

This male sported a manic smirk, and as his gaze followed that of the more normal looking Ishtar boy, it only grew into something that sent shivers around the room. He muttered something to Marik, who cringed, and somehow that twisted smile managed to become bigger.

To put it in a way that didn't even start to explain her feelings, Tamiko Enoki actually felt some form of fear. About this weird, freak of a person. Scrap that, it didn't even begin to explain it. Not even a little bit. He wasn't human, that was for sure.

He was Marik's spirit. The one Bakura had talked about. In the flesh, quite literally, and smirking like a demented Cheshire cat.

His hair matched the shade Marik's was, but was spiked and out of control by a far greater measure, in some places it almost looked as if it was standing on end. He wore his clothes in the same way Marik did, but he somehow looked more gothic, more frightening. Far more frightening, she thought to herself, her eyes still glued to him.

He was more muscular, the sort of person that could probably tear people limb from limb and laugh about it. His eyes has a hint of crimson in them, and his face was sharper, looking forever twisted into that almost horror-inspiring grin.

It was a bit like a train wreck; no-one could look away from this new-comer, who waved. Coming from anyone else, it would be a polite gesture, but from him, not so much. It had a more 'it'll-be-nice-to-know-you-before-I-tear-your-heads-off' edge to it. Not even just an edge, actually, it went and possessed the entire movement.

And somehow, the teacher still managed to introduce him and tell him to sit down. As if she was entirely oblivious to the fact that someone that belonged in the very pits of hell has just walked into her classroom.

Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Sure, he looked incredibly evil, but maybe he was nice? No, screw that, from what Tami had seen from the way Marik used to act, how he was acting now, and the look in his eyes as he surveyed his peers… He looked bloodthirsty, almost. No-one would be surprised if his bag was full of knives rather than books.

He went to sit near the back, on the other side of the two boys that always sat beside Tamiko. Finally, Bakura looked concerned. Worried, but not scared. Still, it beat the usual unconcerned expression that usually coated his expressions so thickly it almost looked like a mask. A mask he could hide behind.

A mask that would keep him away from Marik when the worst came to the worst. And it looked like this was a worst.

The calm, collected teenager actually looked as if he was on edge, ready to run if it came to that. Since when did someone inspire fear into someone like Bakura?

It didn't help Tami at all, only confirming her fear about how mental this crazed-looking guy could actually be. Was he a part of the reason Marik had been safe from being hurt? Had he been taking control, and beating the hell out of the bullies? More than likely. The mere idea of someone, even someone physically bigger and at more of an advantage, trying to beat up this version of Marik, this spirit thing that must've been the one Bakura had spoken of, was absolutely absurd. They'd have to be stupid… No, actually, they'd have to be totally brain dead.

Screw composure, the entire class was jittery and he'd only just arrived. He'd been placed in all the same classes as Marik, so for the majority of the day, Tamiko couldn't escape the evil looks she kept receiving from the crazed male. It honestly scared the crap out of her, but she didn't let it show. Past the first moment she'd seen him, she'd been able to keep her expression neutral, only wincing from the glares after he'd left.

Marik avoided them during both break and lunch, and Bakura seemed even more on edge, as if he thought someone was watching him. For once, Tami knew exactly how he felt. Call it paranoia, it really felt as if some blood-thirsty force was watching them, hungry, waiting…

The entire day, everyone seemed to move carefully, watching their backs, and those of their friends. Ryou, Yami, and the others that were in that group, all sat around and whispered, and rumors began to fly that they were going to get rid of the terrifying new-comer.

After lunch, everyone headed to their separate homerooms with the same amount of wariness, flattening themselves to the walls as Marik's dark side sauntered through the corridors. Already, it looked as if he owned the place, and everyone knew who he was, even if no-one could rightly say where he had come from, and what someone like him was doing in this generally dignified school.

The following week passed in a blur of everyone feeling judged, as the dark male (it didn't even feel right to call him a teenager, he looked and acted like someone older, and was suprisingly intelligent, smarter by far than anyone else, possibly even people in the highest years) strode around everywhere, staring into peoples faces while people tried to figure out what he was looking for.

It was nearing the end of the week, and almost everyone had been subject to the unwaveringly fear-inspiring glare of the manic male.

It was a lunch time, the final break from schoolwork until the weekend, and it was at that time that the Dark Marik walked directly up to Tami. His eyes searched hers, the same way he'd been searching everyone elses, and a smirk grew on his face. Bakura actually flinched away, and grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her away from him as quickly as he could.

She let him pull her away, her expression scared as she stared, fixated, on the one that was staring after in such a crazed and scarily cheerful way. It just wasn't right.

She could feel Bakura's nails digging painfully into her arm, but couldn't find her voice to tell him to get the hell off her.

Eventually, he stopped, his expression one of severe shock, maybe even something resembling fear. For her? Maybe.

"You're so screwed." His words weren't anything particularly suprising to her; she'd already figured as much.

"Well, gee, thanks Kura, I hadn't even noticed," she snapped angrily, unconsciously using the nickname Marik occasionally taunted him with. He glared, but she ignored it.

"So, are you going to tell me how I'm screwed, or is it for me to find out the extent to which he's willing to beat the lights out of me?" She suddenly froze at Bakura's expression. She'd hit jackpot, without even realizing it. Or wanting to.

"He's going to…?" To what? What would he do that made Bakura look so horrified and scared?

"He's going to freaking beat the shit out of you, and when you think it can't get any worse, believe me, it will." His voice betrayed no of the emotion showed on his face, and it was beginning to be slightly more scary than Marik's alter ego was. That said, the words didn't help her feel any more confident about how long her life was going to be.

"Why?" It was the only coherent question she could currently form, and as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't.

"For the fun of it, maybe. Because that fucking psychopath doesn't want Marik to have friends. Because he should be alone, just as the spirit had to be for so bloody long." His voice became harsher, and even slightly irritated. "Stupid bloody thing, I was trapped for just as long."

His tone was suddenly bitter, and she realized now. Although the three strange, bodied spirits had all been trapped under the same circumstances, they were all very different.

There was Yami, without any real name of his own that he knew of. He was calm, and acted far more mature than most others.

Then Bakura, a person in all rights, as normal as Yami, but with a very slight sadistic streak.

And now this new spirit. It was insane, thoroughly so. Untamable, dangerous, murderous. Three words that all fitted perfectly.

And now he was after her. Because it thought it's previous host should have to put up with the amount of aloneness that he himself had been put through.

A spirit, back with vengeance, ready to completely destroy anyone who thought it would be ok to so much as smile in Marik's direction. Bakura had received a black eye yesterday for asking if the sandy-blond teen wanted to come over and play video games. Three days ago, Joey's younger sister had been sent home with a fractured wrist that she refused to talk about – right after she'd been seen asking Marik if anything was wrong.

People seemed to like the idea that Marik was cursed. He wasn't the curse at all though, the creature that had been pulled from within that rod thing was. It was worrying, the way that anyone that had had any contact with Marik at all over the past few days was being hospitalized, or at the very least, coming away with bruises that would only have looked about right on someone who did very high-risk sports.

Everyone, Bakura and Tamiko included, had actually taken to avoiding the unfortunate teenager, and over the coming few weeks, his injuries began to creep back again, worse than they had when it had been the at least human ones beating him up. Cuts ran deep across his arms, and he began wearing his uniform properly just to hide them. His face he couldn't hide though. Deep scars, massive bruises, even the odd dried trickle of blood that made it look as if he'd only been injured that morning.

People began yearning for the half term far more than before, and when it came, it was a massive relief. On the final day, people headed out, anyone who glanced at Marik sustaining more damage than those that didn't.

The people who escaped before the demented spirit could get them counted themselves lucky, and looked forward to a week that wouldn't be spent nursing injuries back to health before they had to get to school again.

Tamiko was one of the lucky ones, but somehow felt a horrible sense of dread beginning to settle on her as she walked, wishing Bakura hadn't taken the park way home today. Sure enough, a harsh, bored voice called out her name.

"Hey, Enoki." She didn't respond, but kept walking, hoping it would go away…

"Enoki, I'm talking to ya, you know. It's rude to ignore people…" His tone turned threatening in a hurry. Tami slowed to a stop, turning hesitantly, and wishing she hadn't.

Marik's yami stood, leaning casually against a tree, spinning a switchblade between his fingers expertly. Tami didn't even want to think about what he was going to do with that, and automatically took several steps back when he pushed away from the tree. It didn't look natural, the way he stalked forward, as she stood, frozen to the spot, until he was directly in front of her.

"Oh, what's wrong?" His tone was anything but sympathetic. "Feeling a bit… Concerned?" He sounded amused now, taunting. "Or maybe… Just afraid?" His laugh fell through the air, and the tension was biting. Almost as biting as the knife would be against her skin… She pushed the thought out of her head, just as said knife was raised to her cheek.

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**AN- **Ok, well, there you go! An uncharacteristically long chapter from me, I really hope you liked it. Sorry for the second cliffhanger, but I may actually update again today, so hopefully you won't have to wait too long to find out how dead she's going to be :D A good thirteenth chapter? Something like this had to happen, since it's meant to be all unlucky and stuff... Hee hee :D

**NOTE!- **I don't actually have anything against Yami Marik. He's one of my favorite characters, but I figured it would be more interesting if he was a crazy psychopath. I have a warped sense of humor. Anyway, reviews? And please don't hurt me, cyber hugs to anyone who was disappointed with my recent hopelessness :D


	14. Chapter 14

**AN- **Ok, sorry, I lied! I didn't post two chapter yesterday! I'll try and do that today instead... Hee hee... Thanks to the reviewers, three last chapter :D I feel all warm and fuzzy :D Cyber hugs and cookies to everyone! So, here's a new chapter. I dunno what you expected to happen with that last cliffhanger, but I hope you didn't see this coming. Enjoy!

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She pushed the thought out of her head, just as said knife was raised to her cheek.

For several, terrifying seconds, she thought he would slice straight through her cheek and leave her to bleed. So naturally, it came as a massive relief when he removed it… Until she noticed the slightly threatening way in which he was rolling up his sleeves.

She attempted to say something, maybe an excuse to escape, maybe to tell him to go away… Most likely something in a sad attempt to get away from this man. Either way, it made very little difference, since it only came out as a panicked sounding squeak. She hadn't even realized she was quite so scared up until she found out just how useless her voice box was being right then.

Now, that made her worried. She was never speechless. Not ever. No matter what situation she'd managed to land herself in, there was always a witty remark or cutting comment that could be made. Not now though. Her mind was a scary blank, and it was in slow motion that she watched a powerful fist connect with her face.

It didn't even hurt. Not at first. She wasn't sure why, until she realized it was adrenaline spiking through her blood. She barely noticed as she raised her fist, and pounded it straight back into the yami's face.

It was almost scary. The way she was acting now was so uncharacteristic, and she could see the shocked look on the males face. Whatever reaction he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. She could feel her mouth curve into a cruel smirk, and suddenly, a shock of memories from her childhood crashed back through.

Karate, Tae Kwon Do, all sorts of self defence lessons. She'd taken a lot. And now, everything came flooding back. This guy had most likely caused one of her friends a lot of pain. It sure as hell looked that way.

Her foot suddenly flew into his stomach, followed by a harsh smash into the side of his head again. He crashed into the floor before he knew what was going on. She looked up, pain finally beginning to settle in. She held a hand to the side of her head, dragging her eyes away from the slight mess of a man on the floor, to see Bakura and Marik both staring at her.

Neither of them seemed capable of any reaction other than shock. She smiled slightly, her head starting to spin. He had actually hit her immensely hard. Too bad for him she'd been hyped on adrenaline when he'd first hit her. Otherwise he would've won flat out.

She'd always been like that. Things went mental when the excitement started and kicked her into overdrive. And now, the most terrifying being in the small world that her life centered around was a groaning mess on the floor. She finally registered what she'd really done. And was a lot more scared. Next time he had a knife, she was so screwed. More than freaking likely, she thought sourly, finally stepping gingerly away from the male, and going across to the boys.

"Well, hey there," she murmured, trying – and failing – to ignore the sharp throb in her temple. They were still staring, totally amazed with what they'd just witnessed. Anyone who hadn't seen it wouldn't believe it. So it looked like no-one would have to know.

"Did you seriously just do that?" Marik's voice wasn't full of awe the way Bakura's expression had just gone. It was actually… Angry. And that was when her brain seemed to realize that she'd more than likely just got him into a lot more pain. Oh yay.

He turned on heel and stalked off. He did that far too much and it made him look like a sulky teenage girl. The longish blond hair didn't help the image, either. She almost giggled, but even just a smile tweaked her face badly, causing her to wince instead. Bloody hell, even that hurt now.

Bakura noticed her wince, and wiped his face clean, just as a winded spirit dragged himself off the floor, clutching his face and looking incredibly angry. Although, the expression was marred by the pain that plashed across his face when he opened his mouth to speak. So naturally, he closed it again, tossing her a look that was so full of poison and hatred that it made her flinch back.

It was at that point that she really realized exactly what she'd gotten herself into. That look, one single venomous look, promised pain and suffering beyond anything anyone would've thought possible. So what did she do? She smirked straight back at him.

Of course, she still didn't know what made her do that. The male practically snarled at her, before turning and heading after Marik. The way he did it was almost a perfect imitation. Freaky. Bakura was saying something about getting home, but she wasn't really listening. It seemed like a better idea to try and figure out just what that crazed guy could do to her.

It wouldn't be legal, that's for sure. Although, she wasn't entirely sure that he even properly existed. So there really was nothing she could do. Not to someone who legally and officially wasn't here.

Bakura's voice was getting louder. How annoying. She forced herself to concentrate. He was telling her she might have concussion. Yeah, that seemed pretty damn likely at the moment. Seriously, it felt as if he'd cracked her skull in half.

"Are you listening? Don't sleep, you might end up in a fucking coma!" Bakura was yelling at her now, and she nodded in response.

"Got it, don't sleep, I'll go make coffee.." she mumbled, while the white-haired teen rolled his eyes and left, heading towards his own home. She slowly turned in the right direction, and began to make her way back as well.

The walk took a suprisingly short amount of time, and she was slightly worried to hear silence as she pushed the front door open. Then she remembered; her parents were both working late today. Her brother was probably out too, so she headed quickly for her room, and plugged headphones into the stereo to listen, instead of blasting it everywhere, for the benefit of the rest of the street.

The music soothed her, and just as she removed the headphones to stand up and get something to eat (and a mug of coffee, she reminded herself with a very slight smile) she heard the front door open. Not in the crashing, drunk way her brother did it, but in a much more civil way. Were her parents home already?

Either way, she was getting hungry, and headed out of her room and to the stairs, seeing her brother. Who was sober. Geez, what the hell was going on here?

He smiled, gesturing to an over-stuffed folder under his arm.

"I've got hell to study for, would you make me some coffee?" Damn, what was it with freaking coffee today? Still, she nodded, vaguely mumbling about how she had been about to make some anyway. The man smiled cheerfully, before heading up the stairs. She heard him dump the folder heavily on the floor, soon followed by himself.

She wandered to the kitchen, and began to make the coffee, ignoring a small noise of hunger her stomach made as she made the hot drink.

Cautiously, she took a mug up to her brother, knocking lightly on the door. He didn't respond, so she left the mug just outside the door. It opened inwards, so he wouldn't knock it over when he opened it. Hopefully.

She took her own mug, and went back downstairs, grabbing a piece of bread out of the packaging it sat in, watching as the rest of the slices flopped slightly. Ah, the wonders of sliced bread, she thought sarcastically, taking a bite out of it. She really couldn't be bothered to get anything else, so instead she went to sit down, wondering aimlessly about how and why her brother had changed.

Maybe a new girlfriend made him give up? Or maybe this stupid exam thing was affecting his brain. Hmm. It didn't make much difference; with either of them he'd end up going back to his bottle, so she'd just have to find a way of avoiding him when that happened.

The coffee actually tasted pretty nasty. No wonder she'd never been inclined to drink it before. With a shudder, she put down the mug, pushing it away from her and pulling a face.

Eventually, her thoughts drifted to the yami spirit that she'd been beating up. Unintentionally, but still. Her thoughts progressed slowly, getting more and more absurd as she considered what would happen to her and Marik – and maybe Bakura too – tomorrow.

* * *

**AN- **A suprise? I really hope you didn't see that coming :P Would anyone like to see Tami's brother go back to his original self? Or does she have enough to deal with? Eh heh, it might end up being aallll up to you, since I'm incredibly indecisive :D Anyways, reviews? We all know I love them by now ;D


	15. Chapter 15

**AN- **Nyah! Another chapter! Ok, so I'm a bad person, I didn't upload two chappies at any point at the weekend. So sue me. Actually, please don't O.o So, here's the next chapter, I hopes you enjoys! Oh yeah, and I don't own The Offspring. Although they are awesome. Maybe there will be lyrics I own in a chapter-to-come? Hee hee ;D

* * *

Her thoughts progressed slowly, getting more and more absurd as she considered what would happen to her and Marik – and maybe Bakura too – tomorrow.

However, weeks slowly passed, and she received nothing harsher than evil glares and smirks. Although, they were more disturbingly worrying than any amount of pain could have been. Those looks only reinforced what she had already considered; he was plotting. Planning, something massive that would make her regret what she'd done.

It wasn't a great feeling.

Weeks slowly began to morph into a few months, and before she could turn, Christmas was about to ambush her. She dashed about during the beginning of the holidays, trying to figure out what was actually going on.

Her phone seemed to enjoy beeping loudly while she was trying to concentrate, and she continuously ignored it until it grated right onto her last nerve, and she finally snatched it up, and opened up her text inbox.

Bakura had been pelting her with texts asking if she was going to the New Years party thing after the holidays. She shook her head to herself, smiling slightly, before flinging her phone into an abandoned corner.

For the first time, Christmas day actually seemed uneventful. She opened presents, discovering new CDs, various articles of clothing and one helluva lot of chocolate. No-one needed that much sugar, did they? Still, she munched through it while she played random music loudly on her brand-new laptop.

Usually, the mere box would've made her jump around and yell happily. This year, she was far too consumed by what would happen to her after the holidays. That weird yami Marik guy had given her the worst sneer before leaving with the words 'Have a nice Christmas', and she could swear he'd added 'it'll be your last' before leaving.

She didn't properly hear that though. She really hoped she'd been wrong. The music continued to abuse her ears and she sung along aimlessly. She couldn't even get lost in the music today. Damnit, why did she have to worry so much about that guy? I mean, he couldn't do anything to major… Could he?

The question must've played a billion times through her head, and every time she avoided the answer. It wasn't one she even wanted to think. Saying it out loud would be torture.

So it was with a jerk that she woke up on the first day back, sitting up slowly, before realizing with a yelp she was going to be late. She crashed through the house manically, rushing to get everything ready. Again, she skipped breakfast in favour of running the whole way to school.

An Offspring song jumped into her head, and she hummed the lyrics to herself with a small smile.

"You're gonna go far, kid.." she mumbled the line out loud, then wincing as she crashed into a sandy haired teenager, letting out a sigh of relief as she realized it was just Marik, as opposed to his evil side.

Or so she thought. The almost docile expression quickly hardened into a mean smirk, and he grabbed hold of her by the collar, dragging her off her feet so he could snarl in her face.

"Look out, get it?" His voice was full of venom, and as he let go of her the bell went. He smirked, then swept off to let her pull herself up off the floor and dust herself down. She stalked into the building moodily, ignoring the slight twinge in her ankle. She expected she'd twisted it a tiny bit when she'd fell. Stupid bastard, she growled to herself, storming into homeroom a minute late, ignoring the teacher's reproachful look as she smashed her bag onto her desk.

The reason for her bad mood wasn't obvious. It was caused by edginess, which in turn had been caused by Marik's dark side. Damn, why didn't he have a name? It would be so much easier.

'Jerk' would have to do for now. Maybe Bakura would know. Of course, he didn't seem to have a proper name other than the 'Thief King', so maybe it was pointless. Damnit. She answered her name quietly, her voice betraying none of the anger she'd displayed previously, and she ignored the several odd glances she received because of it.

Damnit, why couldn't people stick their noses in someone elses business? She had started at the same time as the rest, and almost everyone had been late by that point. She didn't even have any unusual marks on her face today. Losers.

That seemed to be going through her head a lot recently. So much for her previous good nature. It had died at around the same time she'd found out just how two-faced her 'friends' were. She used to be so cheerful… Ah well. Maybe this suited her better?

No, it didn't. But she had to change this time. All of the damned situations, constant tension… Anyone would be the same. Gah.

The lessons dragged today. She spent every moment – well, almost, she took some notes as well, just to keep up appearances and the like – thinking about the probably torture she'd be on the receiving end of in the very near future.

She pulled a scrap of paper out of her pocket, and began doodling a tombstone on it. Damn, how pessimistic could she be? He wouldn't kill her. Even someone like him must have some form of moral. Hopefully, anyway.

Break and lunch went the same as ever, but Marik's non-existence in their usual spot was becoming so frequent he was spending more time away than there. Bloody yami guy.

Speaking of yami type people, the crazy-haired, mature looking teen was heading their way, Ryou in tow. Tami shifted over to give the two of them space to sit down, which they proceeded to do.

"I think there's a lot of stuff we need to sort out." Ryou began , glancing at his other side, almost nervously, as he paused, trying to figure out what he should say next. His tone reflected the concern in his quiet, accented voice.

"There is. Like Tami's current life or death situation." Bakura's words were a lot blunter, and Yami nodded in agreement.

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**AN- **Was that a cliffhanger? I somehow think not, but yeah x] Reviews? I wuffles everyone who does, you know ;D What with all the cyber cookies and stuff :D Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, a new installment tomorrow, as per usual.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN-** Ack! Sorry! Another very short chapter, I'm sorry again! I wanted to end this chapter in this way, and sadly there's only so much I could find to put in between. Don't hurt me, please enjoy anyway :D

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"There is. Like Tami's current life or death situation." Bakura's words were a lot blunter, and Yami nodded in agreement.

It wasn't ever a good thing to hear. Not in such a way that made her shiver a little bit just hearing it. Life or death? Surely that was bit… extreme? She remembered the look the dark Marik had given her, and amended her thought immediately. It's wasn't even close to the extremities that guy could take things to.

What wasn't so expectedly 'extreme' was that once she tuned back in, she realized she was being told about 'Shadow Games'. An escalated version of the card game so many people around here played.

Jeez, this sounded just a little bit… Out there. Although, a lot of random stuff seemed to enjoy jumping at her recently. She was beginning to consider the idea that pretty much anything was possible. Weird thought, really… Still, it was true enough now.

That didn't make everything particularly easy to comprehend though. She trued to listen, but kept spacing out and drifting in and out of her overly complex stream of thoughts.

She actually had her deck with her. It was suprisingly good, for someone who played the actual Duel Monsters game so little. She just liked the cards, really. Her hand went to her pocket, and she took hold of the top card between her thumb and finger, smiling slightly. It was reassuring to her, for some unknown, strange reason.

Finally, the boys seemed to give up, and Yami and Ryou stood up, one nodding before leaving, the other smiling and giving a small wave before rushing after the older looking boy.

Tamiko watched them in silence, before looking at Bakura as he coughed. "You didn't pay even a little bit of attention, did you?" His tone wasn't particularly accusing, but he had a very slight frown creasing his alabaster forehead, which clashed minorly with the smirk that was playing across his mouth. Tami just shrugged.

"If I'm dead meat, then that's just how it's gonna be. Whatever," she was surprised by how uncaringly she actually managed to say that.

The rest of the day – followed by the entire week – drifted by lazily, and still nothing.

It was almost disconcerting, the way she was almost expecting a murderous looking yami around every corner. One day, one day very soon, she knew there would be though.

Just not the corner she expected.

Almost two weeks after the 'prep talk' she'd ignored from Yami and the other two, it finally came.

She wandered home; alone. Bakura had already turned away with a calm nod and a 'See ya tomorrow'. Almost from thin air, the evil side of the blond male materialized directly in front of her, forcing her to stop.

She looked up, trying to keep as much defiance in her expression, but inwardly cursing. This was definitely it. The single moment she'd been anticipating for Ra knows how long.

Somehow, it wasn't quite as bad as she'd expected. He stood, expertly shuffling a deck of cards, and she realized the whole 'card game of doom' thing those three had been going on about. She slowly reached for her own deck, and began to shuffle it as well.

The initial glaring was more scary than the actual game. Weird…

As she drew the first card, she felt a severe sense of impending doom settling onto her. This would be a pretty intense moment, she could tell.

Even if it was just a freaking card game.

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**AN- **Yes, an actual Duel Monsters game. Well, it had to turn up at some point, right? This is YuGiOh, even if it is just a random fanfic. I wanted one, anyway. Eh heh... Erm, reviews? Or are my useless short chapters not deserving? D: Again, I'm so sorry, and I'll try and write something decent length next chapter. Come to think of it, it might be the last chapter tomorrow... *gasp* If I can find a good way to end it, anyway. Probably a corny 'and the good guys win' ending, unless people tell me to kill people etc xD


	17. Apologising!

**~#~**

**AN- **Ack! Again, I am soooo damned sorry. Ok, I'm hopeless with this. I was busy with homework and stuff, and couldn't write the rest of the story. Meh. Anyway, I felt very bad about it, so I'm writing this short little gap filler thingymajig in order to apologise and promise you a long and awesome [hopefully] chapter tomorrow. Eep,don't hurt me or anything, I know it's all lame and stuff, short chapter and then no chapter, but I'm very much failing epically at school, so yeah....

Lame excuses over, hopefully I'll be able to write a brilliant ending to this story. I swear it'll be longer than any of the rest of the chapters. Please don't hurt me, I did at least try to apologise... Argh, sorry again!

Anyways.... Um, obviously I'm not looking for reviews for this, just please wait for the next chapter.

**~#~**


	18. Chapter 17

**AN- **Yes, the last chapter has finally arrived. Since it's the last chapter, I'm going to properly reply to the two fabby reviewers. Fabby? Is that even a word? x] Anyway, here's teh replieesss :D

Forvever Amuto - Yeah, I do need to keep grades up... Heh heh, because I'm totally not flunking out :D I'm not, I swear :3 Thankies for being nice though, tis appreciated :D *hugs*

DaAmaxingMeepers - Nyah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so lame with the last chapter, pwomise *innocent look* But thankies for the cookies! Even if they weren't deserved, I mentally ate them while I wrote :D

To peoples who is reading, thankies for getting to the end, and I hope it's a good ending? Enjoy!

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Even if it was just a freaking card game.

***

It was, honestly, the longest card game ever. Seriously. The crowd that gathered around was pretty impressive too, to say the least. Of course, Yugi and his 'crew' were there, cheering for whoever seemed to be winning at that point. Goddamnit, why couldn't they just go away? it was pretty disconcerting, to say the least.

Of course, Tami was used to winning due to two cards that made her deck relatively invincible – Exxod; Master Of The Guard, a monster card with 4000 defence points, although the 0 attacks points would have been a short coming, did she not team it with Shield And Sword. Which she did.

It was an easy (even if it did take Ra knows how long to get there) win, and she stood up from their make-shift dueling 'arena' smiling slightly over her victory as several loud, irritating people decided to hug her.

It was at that point that she remembered that thing Bakura and the others had been attempting to explain to a spaced out Tami. That this yami side of Marik's had been playing this as a Shadow Game. She vaguely recalled something about losing your soul. Surely someone like that didn't have much of a soul... Of course, that didn't stop him from collapsing in a very painful looking way onto the ground, his eyes blank. Marik shuffled forward, mumbling something about bodies being a little bit useless, and proceeded to drag him away.

Tami frowned. That was a slightly weird sight, to say the least. She shrugged it off, turning to face the fangirl-like, squealing teens that were Yugi and the rest. Duke and Yami had chosen to sit out of this friendship speech to-be, which she was incredibly glad about. They'd just look weird if they joined in.

Téa looked about ready to start talking, and barely got three words into her wanna-be friendship declaration before Tamiko cut her off brutally.

"Ok look. You all hate me and would be far more open about it if it weren't for Ryou, so get the hell out of my face before I make you." Her words were delivered quite rudely – intentional – and had the effect of turning all of their smiles sharply into moody frowns, all far too identical to be real.

"Oh, she doesn't mean that, she's just-" Yugi began, just to be cut off by Tami again.

"Yeah, I meant it. Let's face it, you don't like me, so give it up and get the hell out of here," she snapped, before turning away, and stalking off angrily. _Just like Marik, _she thought to herself with a small smirk.

Everyone stared after her in shock, and she enjoyed the attention, twisted as that sounded, even just in her head. It was fun, being the object of everyone's shock. And for once, she didn't feel self-conscious as several glares burnt into her back, and almost burst out laughing as she heard the cheer that someone thought it appropriate to let out in a slightly late response to her short yelling fit.

Within seconds, the cheering had begun to escalate, and as Tami turned the corner, she broke into a sprint to try and escape it.

No matter how irritated she had been with them, it hadn't initially been her plan to cause them severe embarrassment… Scrap that, it was hilarious. She was just going to be very late home, and would more than likely end up grounded for the next Ra knows how many weeks.

She was right, of course. Her usually lax parents threw a fit as she casually sauntered into the house at half seven pm, and sure enough, she spent the next month under strict grounding. School, however, stayed at uneventful as always.

The day after the incident, Marik finally came to sit with her and Bakura, for the first time in what felt like – and in fact was – months, almost. The two smiled, and he joined in.

The scars on his face were bad, but healing, finally. It had been a while since any part of him had been unscarred for any length of time. And he would finally explain everything that had been so confusing.

"Look, I'm sorry I was such an ass…" It was a sincere enough apology, but Tami had to elbow Bakura hard in the ribs to stop him from making a sarky comment in response, motioning for him to continue.

"Um, yeah… So, I'm sorry… It's just, my dark side, he's a bit… He didn't want me to feel anything he couldn't… So he didn't want me to have friends and the like… And he hurt me…" He gestured towards his face aimlessly, going slightly pink, obviously feeling overly stupid, although whether it was the current situation or his previous one he was upset about it was impossible to tell.

He hadn't said anything the two hadn't figured out already, and Bakura rolled his eyes, earning himself another jab in the ribs, which he responded to, slightly lighter.

"Oh yeah, and he's queer," Bakura suddenly yelled out, earning himself yet more assaultation, this time from Marik.

"Dick! You said you'd stay fucking quiet!" He yelled, but didn't turn icy and leave as he would originally have done. The disappearance of his dark side really was very prominent at time like that.

Tamiko simply laughed, and the others joined in pretty quickly, until they were all in hysterics, for Ra knows what reason. But it felt good, having the old troublesome trio together. Because in reality, that was all they were. Three kids with weird senses of humour and far too much time to burn.

From there, life skidded quickly back to normal, but with additions. Ryou had become rather more prone to declining offers of any sort of interaction from the others he used to be so close to, choosing instead to hang out with a slightly dubious trio.

It took some persuading, but Marik and Bakura finally both cracked under Tami's powerful persuasion skills. These 'skills' basically comprised of torturing them with friendship speeches (which steadily grew more insane and cheesy) and painful jabs every time they tried to tell him to go away. And they soon grew used to his insistent presence, and even grew to like him, although neither had the nerve to say they thought of him as a 'friend'.

Although, it was an improvement; Marik previously enjoyed insulting Ryou – and his friends, which still got over their fair share of bitching – at every possible opportunity, and Bakura did love his brother, but didn't ever think of him as one of the people he would chose to be around most of the time.

Naturally, Yami and Duke spent short amounts of time with them as well. They seemed to have detached themselves from the initial group, mostly seeming to prefer being alone, although Yami did still spend copious amounts of time with them; he still shared a bond with the younger looking teen, even if he did prefer the quiet of going elsewhere.

In all, everything slowly fell back into it's own flow, and everything began to feel more routine as Ryou quietly added his contributions of conversations, coming out of his polite shell a little bit. He never would be as exuberant as his darker half could be, but it was definitely a bit of an improvement.

Of course, what with all the of the stuff with the mindreading magic or whatever, there were still some random happenings that completely threw out everything that was expected in a day.

Of course, Tami's brother didn't stay sober, but she found a way of avoiding the beatings, finally. He'd come home, she'd flick off her music and act as if she was on the phone to one of her parents. Childish, maybe, but it worked well enough, and she managed to evade almost all of his attempted assaults. Almost. Sometimes, she'd walk into school with a scar over her cheek, or a bruise across her eye, and Marik or Bakura would growl about how many ways the male was going to die.

They never did anything, admittedly, but it was fun, plotting elaborate plans for his downfall.

There was a balance at last, even if it was weird, maybe twisted, maybe making very little sense. Her life had turned to rebellion, and she'd survived. Ra only knew how long it could survive for, though. Hopefully one helluva long time.

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**AN- **Was it indeed a good ending? I'm quite happy with it, so I hope you are too :D Reviews are still loved, even if this is the end D: I don't believe it, my fic if over :O I hope no-one misses Tami :P Of course, if you do, feel free to tell me and I'll think about putting her into another fic, maybe :D Virtual cookies to anyone who's still reading, and maybe read some future fics of mine? I'm thinking about a couple of silly little nonsense fics, sound fun? :D


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